Aussies help develop ‘anti-myopia’ lens
Australia has led the development of a new lens that can slow a short-sighted person’s rate of vision deterioration as well as helping them to see, in a lucrative and globally significant breakthrough.
Clinical trials in Australian and Chinese children have shown how the lenses could not only restore clear vision but also slow any worsening of their myopia over time by about 30%.
Conventional lenses now used in glasses and contact lenses don’t have this “anti-myopia effect”, said University of New South Wales Professor Brien Holden, who led the research in partnership with the University of Houston College of Optometry in the United States.
The lenses work by not only redirecting a myopic person’s central vision onto their retina but also their peripheral vision – a small change which turns out to have major ramifications for eye health.
The research was funded by the Australian Government, meaning millions of dollars in royalties will flow back into more science and services in Australia.
